This history is based on the deduction that the
original house attached to the croft called Conyers does not now exist, and
probably disappeared in the 18th century. The idea that present day Conyers
house acquired its name from another property has been resisted, but current
evidence makes this step irresistible. Further research may alter present
conclusions.

Eastern Bakers Row

In the 1679 Manor Survey there were two houses in the
crofts that can be identified with Bakers Row. The first house is what is now
named Conyers.

Allso Hugh Penfoldholdeth in Reversion after the death of his Mother of the Lord of
this Mannor as of the said Mannor freely to him and his heirs for ever One
Tenement being a Messuage Backside and Garden with the appurtenances situate in
East Angmering aforesaid and bounded as followeth (viz) The Messuage and
backside by East Angmering Church yard on the North by Angmering Street on the
East and South And by the Lands of Thomas Charles als Rogers on the West

The critical part of the description is that the
Street lay to the south and east, and behind the house was the east Angmering
church site.

The
Survey continues with a description of his garden on the south side of Bakers
Row lane.

The
Garden is bounded by the Highway on the North and South by the Gates of the
said

Hugh
Penfold on the East and by the Lands of John Blaber on the West

This croft was certainly attached to Conyers in the
19th century. John Blaber's house was Blaber Cottage.

Rent

For the
whole property, house and detached garden, a rent was paid to the lord of the
manor.

And
hee payeth rent by the yeare two shillings and eight pence And holdeth by Suit
of Court and other services

Later notes on the survey name tenants and owners in
the 1720s.

Georg
PallmerRent ijs viijd

Western Bakers Row

Turning now to the second house in Bakers Row,
described in 1679.

Allso Thomas and Richard Charles als Rogers
hold of the Lord of this Mannor for the Term of their naturall lives by coppy
of Court Roll bearing date the 13th of October xxiij regina Car.
1671 One Tenement being a house and garden with three acres of Land thereunto
belonging called Conyers situate in East Angmering bounded as followeth (viz)
The house and Garden bounded by East Angmering Church yard on the North by the
close of Hugh Penfold on the East and by the Highway there on the South and
West

Here also the critical description is that the church
was to the north, and Angmering Street to the west and south. That John Penfold
occupied the croft to the east indicates that his house, above, was the only
other property in Bakers Row.It
should be noted that present day Arundel Road was simply part of the ancient
Street.

Conyers Croft

The 1679 survey continues with a description of the
location of Conyers croft, nearby to the north, then the rent for the whole
property and c1720 owner.

One
feild Inclosed parcel thereof by estimation three acres bounded by the Lands of
Stedman Breaden called Churchfeilds on the North by the Garden of John Gibbs on
the East by the Highway on the South and by the said Church yard on the West

Rent

whereunto
the said Thomas and Richard were admitted at a Court holden for the said Mannor
the day and yeare abovesaid To have and to hold by the yearly rent of xxs
herriott after every death alienation the best beast Fine at the will of the
Lord and other accustomed services And they paid for a fine on their Admittance
50s Richard Crosingham Rent xxs
[20s rent or £!]

Henry Baker and
Bakers Row

Jumping a century, it is known that Henry Baker and
his family owned the whole of Bakers Row in the 19th century, including Conyers
croft and the garden east of Blaber Cottage. He also owned another property
called the the 'candle house' or Redmans,in 1852 acquired by Gratwicke and rebuuilt as West Angmering vestry.

It is useful in placing various properties to know
that in general East Angmering properties were east of Arundel Road , and West
Angmering on that side. The two Bakers Row properties were in East Court.

No house is mentioned as belonging with Conyers croft,
and it is assumed it had disappeared, or been replaced by the house today known
as St MargaretsThe second East
Angmering freehold at 2s 8d quit rent to the lord of the manor, was presumably
the former Penfold house which is today called Conyers.His West Court property Redmans
has a long series of deeds surviving, and can be identified with the vestry
site.

Bakers Row

Exactly how Conyers Croft and West Bakers
Row descended to Crossingham then Carleton and finally Baker is not known,
but additional evidence that Richard Crossingham owned the croft comes from an
18th century list of manor rents and services, which damaged but almost
certainly names Conyers in his hands.The candle shop or Redman's was purchased by Henry Baker in 1788,
from William Balcombe, and at a similar date he acquired Conyers Croft from
Edward Carleton - according to land tax returns. But East Bakers Row,
the Penfold house, now called Conyers, descended to the Palmer family before
presumably Baker.

Archaeological evidence for ownership of East Baker
Row, present day Conyers, is not lacking.Several datestones are in garden walls
of the house, where they were perhaps moved in the course of later building
alterations and extensions.

The St Nicholas cellar is in fact under the courtyard.Why so many datestones is uncertain but
the most likely event in those years, was the building of a large north wing to
Conyers, creating the large square building seen today.The old 'house' at Avenings is also
another probable Palmer foundation.There are several photographs taken of this courtyard cellar, including
a recess that fable speaks of as the entrance to a tunnel to Church House, but
for which there is no useful evidence to date, and the Palmer family of Conyers
had no known connection with that house.

In a typical rate return, for 1819, all Henry Baker's
houses are listed together;

H
Baker & Sonhouse and shop & Candle House£140

It is with the tithe map and apportionment of c1840
that the first exact schedule and mapping of Baker land occurs, and as well as
Conyers croft:

Tithe 383house outbuildings16
perches[Conyers with modern
day St Nicholas and Little Avenings]

West Bakers Row

Henry Baker owner with occupiers not named

Tithe 384Tenements and yard9
perches[The four cottages and St
Margarets]

[Redmans]

Henry Baker owner and occupier

Tithe 400Candle Manufactury

Successors to Henry Baker continued to own Bakers Row
until it seems a Mrs G Mant came into ownership c1913, who immediately
undertook extensive building alterations to create the present set of
houses.

After the Baker property was acquired by Mrs G Mant
c1913, East Bakers Row, or Conyers, was extensively refashioned to become the
three houses there today. Conyers itself, St Nicholas, and Little Avenings.

Origin of the name
"Conyers"

The name CONYERS has very
good precedence elsewhere.

It could relate to a previous owner or occupier of the
Croft, in Water Lane , long before our records begin. A name like Conier,
Conyer etc.

Alternatively, and one most often quoted, is that it relates to the old
name for rabbit, or a rabbit warren. The interesting possibility arises that
Conyers Croft may have been the site of a Warren belonging to East Angmering
Manor, that is the lord.

From the records the Croft was attached to a
particular house, as its only integral property. If the name was from the
person Conier, then the house and croft were named after him. If the name means
"warren" then the house derived its name from the occupation.

Archaeology

Survey work on these buildings is incomplete and
present conclusions are tentative. Even when all survey work is exhausted,
remains of the earliest structures are so fragmentary that the architectural
history may never be fully established.

Archaeology: West
Bakers Row

St Margarets

This house is at the very west end of Bakers Row,
opposite Blaber Cottage. At this juncture little is known about it, other than
being 18th century in appearance. It is conceivable that it was a small one and
half storey farmstead in origin, and if archaeological investigation provides
an earlier 17th century date, this very building would be identifiable as part
or the whole of the lost 1679 house attached to Conyers croft.Early photographs show this to have had
a thatched roof, but timber framing is not in evidence in the flint walls.

Cottages

On the other hand the adjoining row of four small
cottages, predate the Tithe Map of 1839, but are not present on the Enclosure
map of 1809, although that is not conclusive the map being concerned with other
properties.

Henry Baker is the most likely person to have built
them.

Bakers
Row Occupants 1910

The
houses are not named but can be deduced from their context and from earlier
sources

Owned
by Ellen Baker

Conyers

94Ellen BakerBakers Rd £20

4
Cottages

232Walter
AnsellBakers Rd £5

233Fred
Finchdo£5

234George
Fielddo£5

235Ann
Pocockdo£5

St
Margaret's rated as two dwellings

236/7Edwin Linfielddo£5/£5

Little Avenings

Bakers Row or Church Road.
Buildings on the north side of the road, facing south, with courtyards behind,
and a steep bank rising to the site of East Angmering church.

Prior to 1913, what is
today Little Avenings, was a range of buildings attached to Conyers.

It is impossible to know
the sequence of events, but the layout does suggest the original building was a
dwelling related to Conyers. A two cell dwelling with a kitchen at one end and
lliving room at the other end, can be imagined. At a later date its conversion
to farm or commercial use took place.

It is just conceivable
that the 'house' was built by the Palmer family, at the beginning of the 18th
century. A century later Messrs Baker converted to commercial and farm use.

St Nicholas and Conyers

Although there is some ambiguity about the origins of
Little Avenings, there does not seem to be any about St Nicholas. It was always
an integral part of Conyers until some date after Mrs Mant undertook her
improvements in 1913.

The peculiar feature of St Nicholas and the south wing
of Conyers, is that the roof has a mansard profile on the south side, but
straight slope on the north side. There must be a reason for this of historical
significance. Avenings has a slight but normal mansard, presumably built that
way, and it may be surmised the house was built before the large north wing of
Conyers. That north wing continued over the old south wing, and the opportunity
was taken to reconstruct the south slope as a mansard to match Avenings, where
it could be seen by the public

In view of the several Palmer datestones noted above,
it is a reasonable deduction that this affluent family was responsible for all
the major enlargements of the medieval Conyers. The Avenings 'cottage', and the
Conyers north wing.

Conyers of today comprises a south wing which is an
extension eastwards of Nicholas and there are remains of a medieval crown post
roof, with rafters cut back on the north side where the north roof
overlaps. It
is notable that there are no masonry walls inside the house, apart from the
fireplaces, with timber framed partititions at the rear of the south wing. In
view of this it may be speculated that the medieval house had a north wing,
subsequently rebuilt as the much more substantial building of today. The
massive chimney stack in this north wing may be calculated as about 7ft 6in
long.